The thesis project wants to research the concept of Mongrel Geometries, the development of a spatial system that considering the processes of Form Finding as a design tool and their tight relationship with the model of efficiency and structural optimization, start questioning their problem/solving based procedure with the purpose of understanding which are the potentials of these methods to introduce within the built environment new atmospheric and programmatic qualities. / The intervention consists in the re-design of the Train Station and of the incorporated Bus Terminal, resolving the general connective tissue, and stimulating the public activity towards the sea side. The Terminal wants to be intended not only as a place of departure but also as an attractive place itself.

<p>U ovom radu ispitano je dinamičko ponašanje spregnutih međuspratnih&nbsp; konstrukcija tipa drvo-laki&nbsp; beton&nbsp; usled&nbsp; svakodnevnih&nbsp; ljudskih&nbsp; aktivnosti.&nbsp; Pri&nbsp; sanaciji,&nbsp; nadogradnji&nbsp; i seizmičkom ojačanju objekata na postojeće drvene međuspratne konstrukcije najčešće se izlivaju betonske ploče koje se sprežu sa postojećom konstrukcijom. Beton u gornjoj ploči<br />međuspratne konstrukcije povećava njenu krutost i time smanjuje&nbsp; setljivost na dinamičku pobudu.&nbsp; Potreba&nbsp; da&nbsp; se&nbsp; smanji&nbsp; dodatno&nbsp; opterećenje&nbsp; na&nbsp; postojeće&nbsp; temelje&nbsp; konstrukcije, dovodi do sve češće upotrebe lakog betona pri sanaciji i rekonstrukciji objekata. NJegovom primenom povoljni efekti sprezanja ostaju očuvani, a prednosti u vidu smanjenja dodatne težine dolaze do izražaja.<br />Međutim,&nbsp; u&nbsp; dostupnoj&nbsp; literaturi,&nbsp; podataka&nbsp; o&nbsp; dinamičkom&nbsp; ponašanju&nbsp; spregnutih međuspratnih konstrukcija izvedenih sa lakim betonima&nbsp; malih zapreminskih masa nema, pa je cilj ovog rada bio da se ispitaju osnovne dinamičke&nbsp; karakteristike drvenih međuspratnih konstrukcija saniranih lakim betonom raznih zapreminskih težina. Analizirano je&nbsp; dinamičko<br />ponašanje,&nbsp; odnosno&nbsp; sračunate&nbsp; su&nbsp; prve&nbsp; tri&nbsp; sopstvene&nbsp; frekvencije&nbsp; oscilovanja&nbsp; četiri međuspratne&nbsp; spregnute&nbsp; konstrukcije&nbsp; sa&nbsp; identičnim&nbsp; poprečnim&nbsp; presecima&nbsp; i&nbsp; spojnim sredstvima,&nbsp; ali&nbsp; sa&nbsp; različitom&nbsp; klasom&nbsp; zapreminske&nbsp; mase&nbsp; lakog&nbsp; betona&nbsp; u&nbsp; gornjoj&nbsp; betonskoj ploči.&nbsp; Preliminarnim&nbsp; laboratorijskim&nbsp; ispitivanjem&nbsp; relevantnih&nbsp; svojstava&nbsp; četiri&nbsp; vrste&nbsp; lakog<br />betona,&nbsp; monolitnog&nbsp; drveta&nbsp; i&nbsp; spojnih&nbsp; sredstava,&nbsp; koja&nbsp; su&nbsp; se&nbsp; koristila&nbsp; pri&nbsp; sprezanju&nbsp; drveta&nbsp; i lakog betona, dobijeni su potrebni ulazni podaci za numerička istraživanja. Za&nbsp; potrebe&nbsp; analitičkog&nbsp; istraživanja&nbsp; predložena&nbsp; je&nbsp; jednostavna&nbsp; metoda&nbsp; dinamičkog proračuna&nbsp; sopstvenih&nbsp; frekvencija&nbsp; oscilovanja&nbsp; elastično&nbsp; spregnutih&nbsp; konstrukcija.&nbsp; Tačnost rezultata predloženog dinamičkog proračuna potvđena je&nbsp; eksperimentalno, i poređenjem<br />sa rezultatima programskog paketa Ansys.</p> / <p>This&nbsp; work&nbsp; has&nbsp; examines&nbsp; dynamic&nbsp; behavior&nbsp; of&nbsp; composite&nbsp; wood-lightweight&nbsp; concrete&nbsp; floor structures&nbsp; exposed&nbsp; to&nbsp; normal&nbsp; everyday&nbsp; human&nbsp; activities.&nbsp; In&nbsp; a&nbsp; case&nbsp; of&nbsp; restoration, renovation or seismic reinforcement, the most common approach is to pour concrete slabs onto&nbsp; existing&nbsp; wooden&nbsp; floor&nbsp; structures.&nbsp; Concrete&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; upper&nbsp; zone&nbsp; of&nbsp; floor&nbsp; structure&nbsp; is increasing its stiffness and thus reducing the dynamic excitation. In the attempt to reduce the&nbsp; weight&nbsp; on&nbsp; the&nbsp; existing&nbsp; foundations,&nbsp; lightweight&nbsp; concrete&nbsp; is&nbsp; used&nbsp; for&nbsp; restoration&nbsp; and renovation. Coupling effect remains undisturbed but added weight is&nbsp;&nbsp; significantly reduced when lightweight concrete is used.<br />However,&nbsp; the&nbsp; available&nbsp; literature&nbsp; does&nbsp; not&nbsp; provide&nbsp; data&nbsp; about&nbsp; dynamic&nbsp; behavior&nbsp; of&nbsp; the composite wood-lightweight concrete floor structures; therefore the goal of this research work&nbsp; is&nbsp; to&nbsp; examine&nbsp; the&nbsp; characteristics&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; restored&nbsp; wooden&nbsp; structures&nbsp; coupled&nbsp; with lightweight concrete of the different specific weights. This research work analyzes dynamic behavior&nbsp; that&nbsp; included&nbsp; first&nbsp; three&nbsp; frequencies&nbsp; of&nbsp; four&nbsp; composite&nbsp; floor&nbsp; structures&nbsp; with identical cross&nbsp; sections and&nbsp; connections,&nbsp; but different specific weights&nbsp; of the lightweight concrete&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; upper&nbsp; layer&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; concrete&nbsp; slab.&nbsp; Preliminary&nbsp; laboratory&nbsp; testing&nbsp; of&nbsp; four different types of the lightweight concrete, wood and connections, yielded necessary data for the further numeric analysis.<br />Simple&nbsp; calculation&nbsp; method&nbsp; for&nbsp; obtaining&nbsp; mode&nbsp; frequencies&nbsp; of&nbsp; the&nbsp; partial&nbsp; composite structures has been proposed, for the purpose of this analytical research. The accuracy of the&nbsp; proposed&nbsp; dynamic&nbsp; model&nbsp; has&nbsp; been&nbsp; confirmed&nbsp; through&nbsp; experimental&nbsp; research&nbsp; and compared up against the results from the Ansys</p>

yes / There are very few, if any, available experimental investigations on aggregate interlock capacity along diagonal cracks in lightweight concrete deep beams. As a result, the shear design provisions including the modification factor of ACI 318-08 and EC 2 for lightweight concrete continuous deep beams are generally developed and validated using normal weight simple deep beam specimens. This paper presents the testing of 12 continuous beams made of all-lightweight, sand-lightweight and normal weight concrete having maximum aggregate sizes of 4, 8, 13 and 19 mm. The load capacities of beams tested are compared with the predictions of strut-and-tie models recommended in ACI 318-08 and EC 2 provisions including the modification factor for lightweight concrete. The beam load capacity increased with the increase of maximum aggregate size, though the aggregate interlock contribution to the load capacity of lightweight concrete deep beams was less than that of normal weight concrete deep beams. It was also shown that the lightweight concrete modification factor in EC 2 is generally unconservative, while that in ACI 318-08 is conservative for all-lightweight concrete but turns to be unconservative for sand-lightweight concrete with a maximum aggregate size above 13 mm. The conservatism of the strut-and-tie models specified in ACI 318-08 and EC 2 decreased with the decrease of maximum aggregate size, and was less in lightweight concrete deep beams than in normal weight concrete deep beams.

The use of high compressive strengths in prestressed bridge girders can lower costs by allowing for longer spans, increased girder spacing, and smaller cross-sections. If high strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC) is used, these advantages are further enhanced due to the corresponding reduction in self-weight. Additional benefits can then be realized in the form of more traffic lanes, increased load capacity, smaller substructures, reduced crane capacity requirements, and lower shipping costs. Despite the possible economic savings, HSLWC has been used infrequently in prestressed bridge girder applications across the nation. While recent research has been performed to extend the applicability of current bridge design specifications to normal weight concretes with strengths as high as 18 ksi, little has been done by comparison with regards to HSLWC. The purpose of the research in this report was to assess whether current bridge design specifications for transfer length, development length, prestress loss, camber, and flexural capacity are satisfactory for use with fully-bonded, pretensioned flexural members consisting of HSLWC and to make recommendations for improvements where necessary. Twelve high strength pretensioned beams of variable unit weight (eight lightweight beams and four normal weight beams) and strand size (eight beams with 0.5-in. strand and four beams with 0.6-in. strand) were cast at the Thomas M. Murray Structural Engineering Laboratory at Virginia Tech. These beams were allowed to sit for a period of several months after fabrication while measurements were taken regarding transfer length, prestress loss, and camber. After this period, the beams were load tested to collect development length data, flexural data, and further data related to prestress loss. In addition to the laboratory cast beams, prestress loss and camber data from six full-size bridge beams (five lightweight beams and one normal weight beam) cast as part of a separate project at Virginia Tech was examined. Analysis of the results for all beams shows that with a few caveats, the current AASHTO LRFD Specifications and other design methods examined regarding the topics under consideration are satisfactory for use in the design of HSLWC pretensioned bridge girders with properties similar to those of the beams studied. / Ph. D.

Encouraged by the performance of high performance normal weight composite girders, Virginia Department of Transportation has sought to exploit the use of high strength lightweight composite concrete (HSLWC) girders to achieve economies brought about by the reduction of dead loads in bridges. Transfer Length measurements conducted on two AASHTO Type IV HSLWC prestressed girders, resulted in an average transfer length of 17 inches, well below the AASHTO and ACI guidance. Two girders composed of HSLWC AASHTO Type II girders and a 48" x 8" normal weight 4000-psi concrete deck were produced. The HSLWC Type II girders were cast of concretes with a compressive strength of 6380 psi and unit weight of 114 pcf. Full scale testing of the girders was conducted to evaluate development length and flexural strength in HSLWC composite girders. Embedment lengths of five, six and eight feet were evaluated. Tests indicated a development length of about 72 inches, marginally below the ACI and AASHTO stipulation. Four of eight strands in the girders showed general bond failure nevertheless, the tested girders exceeded their theoretical flexural capacity by 24 to 30 percent. A third composite girder was cast of a high strength normal weight concrete (HSNWC) Type II girder, and topped with a 48" x 8" normal weight 4000-psi concrete deck. This girder was intended as a control specimen to contrast its test results with the HSLWC composite girders. The targeted compressive strength of both the HSLWC and HSNWC AASHTO beams was 8000 psi. The compressive strength of the HSNWC mixture, however, was about 8990 psi compared to 6380 psi for the HSLWC mixture. Prestress losses in HSLWC AASHTO Type IV girders monitored over a nine-month period were found to be less than those calculated using the ACI and PCI models. Furthermore, the ACI model indicated that the effective prestressess retained in the HSLWC girders in 30 year's time are greater than 50% of the specified tensile strength of the strands. / Master of Science

Precast girders and cast-in-place decks are a typical type of concrete bridge construction. A key part of this type of construction is developing composite action between the girder and deck. In order to develop composite action, adequate horizontal shear resistance must be provided at the interface. As lightweight concrete is increasingly being used in bridge designs, it is important to understand the horizontal shear behavior of lightweight concrete. The current AASHTO LRFD Specification provides design equations for horizontal shear strength of both lightweight and normal weight concrete. Thirty-six push-off tests were performed to determine if the current code equations accurately predict the horizontal shear strength of precast girders and cast-in-place decks for both normal weight and lightweight concrete. The different test series investigated effects from lightweight and normal weight concrete used for the girder/slab combination and the quantity of shear reinforcement provided across the interface. The test results were compared to the results predicted by current design equations. A structural reliability analysis was performed and the test-to-predicted statistics were used to define LRFD resistance factors and quantify the probability of failure. The current design equations were found to be conservative and more conservative for lightweight concrete than for normal weight concrete. / Master of Science

Yes / The validity of the modification factor specified in the ACI 318-11 shear provision for concrete members to account for the reduced frictional properties along crack interfaces is examined using a comprehensive database comprised of 1716 normalweight concrete (NWC) beam specimens, 73 all-lightweight concrete (ALWC) beam specimens, and 54 sand-lightweight concrete (SLWC) beam specimens without shear reinforcement. Comparisons of measured and predicted shear capacities of concrete beams in the database show that ACI 318-11 provisions for shear-transfer capacity of concrete are less conservative for lightweight concrete (LWC) beams than NWC beams. A rational approach based on the upper-bound theorem of concrete plasticity has been developed to assess the reduced aggregate interlock along the crack interfaces and predict the shear-transfer capacity of concrete. A simplified model for the modification factor is then proposed as a function of the compressive strength and dry density of concrete and maximum aggregate size on the basis of analytical parametric studies on the ratios of shear-transfer capacity of LWC to that of the companion NWC. The proposed modification factor decreases with the decrease in the dry density of concrete, gives closer predictions to experimental results than does the ACI 318-11 shear provision and, overall, improves the safety of shear capacity of LWC beams.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:57:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 EdilbertoVB_TESE.pdf: 8017732 bytes, checksum: 5be77df6bb358232ee29ccf11e397f58 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-10 / The search for alternative materials with lower density, reduction in heat transfer and propagation of noise associated with the ease of handling and application in concrete structures, represents an enormous challenge in the formulation and knowledge of the performance of self-compacting lightweight concrete, which has technology little known nationally, and appears on the international scene as an innovative material and alternative to conventional concrete. Based on these, this study set out to study self-compacting lightweight concrete made with two distinct grades of expanded clay associated with the addition of plasticizing/superplasticizers additives and mineral additions of metakaolin and bagasse ash of sugar cane. There is also an object of study, evaluation of pozzolanic activity of mineral admixtures and their influence on the durability characteristics of concrete. The rheological, physical, mechanical and microstructural analysis in this study served as basis in the classification of concretes autoadens?veis, targeting the national technical requirements for their classification in the category autoadens?vel and lightweight structural. The inclusion of mineral admixtures (metakaolin and bagasse ash of sugar cane), partial replacement of cement, pozzolanic activity and demonstrated maintenance of mechanical properties through the filler effect, a reduction of up to 76% of the nitrogen gas permeability in blend with 20% bagasse ash. All concretes had rheology (cohesion and consistency) suitable for self-adensability as well as strength and density inherent structural lightweight concrete without presenting phenomena of segregation and exudation / A busca por materiais alternativos de menor massa espec?fica, redu??o na transfer?ncia de calor e propaga??o do barulho, associado ? facilidade de manuseio e aplica??o em estruturas de concreto armado, representa grande desafio na formula??o e conhecimento do desempenho de concretos estruturais leves autoadens?veis, que tem tecnologia pouco difundida em n?vel nacional, e surge no cen?rio internacional como um material inovador e alternativo ao concreto convencional. Frente ao exposto, este trabalho se prop?s a estudar concretos estruturais leves autoadens?veis elaborados com duas gradua??es distintas de argila expandida associados ? inclus?o de aditivos plastificantes/superplastificantes e adi??es minerais de metacaulim e cinza de biomassa de cana-de-a??car. Tem-se ainda como objeto do estudo, a avalia??o da atividade pozol?nica das adi??es minerais e sua influ?ncia nas caracter?sticas de durabilidade dos concretos. As propriedades reol?gicas, f?sicas, mec?nicas e microestruturais, analisadas neste estudo, serviram como fundamenta??o na qualifica??o dos concretos leves autoadens?veis, visando ?s exig?ncias t?cnicas nacionais para sua classifica??o no quesito autoadens?vel e estrutural leve. A inclus?o das adi??es minerais (metacaulim e cinza de biomassa de cana-de-a??car), em substitui??o parcial do cimento, demonstrou atividade pozol?nica e manuten??o das propriedades mec?nicas atrav?s do efeito filler, apresentando redu??o de at? 76% da permeabilidade a g?s nitrog?nio na mistura com 20% de cinza de biomassa. Todos os concretos dosados apresentaram reologia (coes?o e consist?ncia) adequada para autoadensabilidade, bem como resist?ncia e massa espec?fica inerentes aos concretos estruturais leves, sem apresentar fen?menos de segrega??o e exsuda??o

Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Robert J. Peterman / With limited research being conducted solely on lightweight concrete prestressed bond and current development-length equations based on tests performed on normal-weight members, more investigation on lightweight concrete prestress bond is necessary. Additionally, the effects of water-reducing agents on normal-weight and lightweight concrete need further exploration. The aim of this study was to examine these areas using two locally available lightweight aggregates from Kansas and one from North Carolina to determine if lightweight prestressed concrete bridge girders are a useful alternative for the Kansas Department of Transportation. The lightweight concrete mixes developed were capable of attaining 5000 psi compressive strength in 16 hours and 7000 psi in 28 days. During the large block pull-out test, the average maximum force at pull-out and first observable slip was higher for the block cast with a three inch slump then the companion specimen poured at a nine-inch slump. During flexural testing, the two beams not reaching nominal moment capacity, KC-9 and STA-9, failed in compression without strand end slip. The moment capacity was considerably greater for three-inch slump members than the companion specimen placed with nine-inch slump concrete.

O concreto com agregados leves, quando comparado ao concreto convencional, reduz consideravelmente o peso nas edificações. No entanto, esse material ainda não está amplamente difundido no Brasil, pois há apenas uma empresa produtora de agregados leves (argila expandida), localizada no estado de São Paulo, ocasionando altos custos de transporte. Uma alternativa para disseminar a tecnologia do concreto leve é a utilização do parque produtivo de cerâmica vermelha espalhado pelo território nacional, para a produção de agregados leves, utilizando a argila vermelha com a adição da cinza do bagaço da cana-de-açúcar (CBCA) para diminuir a massa específica desse material. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o desempenho de agregados leves destinados a concretos leves produzidos com argila vermelha e a incorporação de CBCA, sinterizados em forno convencional e forno de micro-ondas, visando uma alternativa energeticamente mais eficiente de sinterização de materiais cerâmicos. As caracterizações das matérias-primas foram realizadas por análises de espectroscopia de fluorescência de raios X, perda ao fogo, difração de raios X, termogravimetria, distribuição granulométrica e massa específica real. Os corpos de prova foram conformados por extrusão em três diferentes composições, argila vermelha (referência), argila vermelha com adição de 20 % de CBCA e argila vermelha com adição de 40 % de CBCA, e sinterizados nas temperaturas de 700, 800, 900, 1000 e 1100 ºC. A sinterização convencional ocorreu por 60 min. com taxa de aquecimento de 10 ºC/min. No forno de micro-ondas a sinterização ocorreu de maneira híbrida, com taxa de aquecimento de 50 ºC/min. por 5, 10 e 15 min. Após a sinterização foram realizados os ensaios de retração linear, resistência à compressão, absorção de água, porosidade aparente, massa específica aparente, termogravimetria, difração de raios-X, microtomografia e microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que a sinterização em forno de micro-ondas, quando comparada a sinterização em forno convencional, promove aumento dos valores de resistência à compressão e redução dos valores de absorção de água das massas cerâmicas, provavelmente devido ao refinamento da microestrutura. A adição de CBCA possibilitou a redução da massa específica dos corpos de prova, em especial das cerâmicas com 40 % de adição. Os agregados com adição de CBCA sinterizados em forno de micro-ondas apresentaram valores de resistência a compressão e massa específica aparente similares a argila expandida, se mostrando assim como uma alternativa de agregados leves com baixo impacto ambiental no processo de produção, considerando a maior eficiência energética do forno de micro-ondas e do reuso de resíduos agroindustriais. / The lightweight aggregates concrete reduces considerably the weight in buildings compared with the conventional one. However, this type of material has not been widespread yet once there is just one lightweight aggregate (expanded clay) manufacturer locate in São Paulo state, which makes the transportation still costly. Alternatively, the lightweight concrete technology could be spread all over Brazil by locating the red ceramic industrial production throughout the country for lightweight aggregate calcined clay production, using the red clay with the addition of the sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) to reduce the specific mass of this material. Thus, the aim of this research is to assess the performance of lightweight aggregates for lightweight concrete produced from red clay with the incorporation of ash from the sugarcane bagasse (SCBA) sintered in conventional oven and microwave, in the search of a more energy-efficient alternative for the sintering of ceramic materials. The characterization of the raw materials was carried out by analysis of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, loss on ignition, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, particle size distribution and actual specific mass. The specimens were extruded in three different compositions, red clay (reference), red clay with addition of 20 % of SCBA and red clay with addition of 40 % SCBA, and sintered at temperatures of 700, 800, 900, 1000 and 1100 °C. Conventional sintering occurred for 60 min. with a heating rate of 10 ºC / min. In the microwave oven sintering occurred in a hybrid manner, with a heating rate of 50 ºC/min for 5, 10 and 15 min. After sintering, linear retraction, compressive strength, water absorption, apparent porosity, apparent specific mass, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, microtomography and scanning electron microscopy were performed. The results showed that sintering in microwave oven, when compared to sintering in conventional kiln, promotes an increase in the values of compressive strength and reduction of the water absorption values of the ceramic masses, probably due to the refinement of the microstructure. The addition of SCBA allowed the reduction of the specific mass of the specimens, especially of the ceramics with 40% addition. The aggregates with addition of SCBA sintered in microwave oven presented values of compressive strength and apparent specific mass similar to expanded clay, thus showing as an alternative of light aggregates with low environmental impact in the production process, considering the higher efficiency energy efficiency of the microwave oven and the reuse of agro-industrial waste.